Thursday, November 30, 2017

(patriarchia.ru) - The document was adopted by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 29 - December 2, 2017.

The Council of Bishops heard a written appeal from the former Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Filaret to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 16, 2017.

The letter contains a request for the restoration of eucharistic and prayerful communion with Christians in the Ukrainian church schism, and on the abolition of "all decisions, including on reprisals and excommunication ... for the sake of God's achievement of the commanded peace between the faithful of Orthodox Christians and reconciliation among nations". The letter ends with the words: "I apologize in everything, I sinned in word, deed and all my feelings, and I also sincerely forgive everyone from the heart."

The Council is pleased to take the appeal as a step towards overcoming the split and restoring church communication on the part of those who once fell away from unity with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church .

In 2008, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the definition of "On the Unity of the Church," approved the efforts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to overcome the split through a dialogue based on "the faithfulness of the canonical tradition of the Church and the desire to return those who separated from the saving unity into church communion."

In the Address of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of July 26, 2010 to Orthodox Christians in Ukraine who are not in unity with the Holy Church, it is said: "What can be more welcome than the return of the separated brothers to the saving fence of the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church? This would be the true triumph of Orthodoxy, the triumph of Christ's love! We pray for the coming of the hour when those who evade the schism freely and naturally wish to return to the bosom of the Church; that this long-awaited day, which will bring peace and salvation to many exhausted souls, has come. And we believe that he will certainly come. "

After the grievous twenty-five years of strife, violence, mutual hostility, resentment and disorganization that have arisen in Ukrainian Orthodoxy and Ukrainian society as a result of the split, there appears, finally, the opportunity to embark on the path of restoring unity.

Today's duty and those who are in the Church, and those who seek to reunite with it - in the hourly feat of mutual love and self-denial, in order to overcome long-standing alienation, trusting in the mercy and goodness of the Lord and our God Jesus Christ, the mediocrity of enmity destroyed . The decisive rejection of violence and the seizure of churches, the refusal of mutual accusations and reproaches, mutual forgiveness of old grievances to each other - these are the healing means of self-sacrifice and love of Christ, with which alone can the unity of the canonical Church in Ukraine be restored.

To conduct further negotiations with those separated from church communication, the Council establishes a commission consisting of:

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."